Countdown to Zero
From the people who brought you "An Inconvenient Truth," a film about our nuclear threat.
Tracing the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident.
The film features an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today.
Member Reviews
Terrifying - Elasticgirl
Completely disagree with the previous review. The documentary traces the history of nuclear accidents and near misses, which is troubling enough. But from there it only gets worse, as you realize that beyond concerns around an accident or a mistake in perception between nuclear superpowers, we now have to contend with a world in which highly enriched uranium can be bought and sold like any commodity. This is happening, its only a question of when not if that there is a detonation in a major city, and that should be cause for very grave and present concern.
I am also reminded of something that historian Gwynne Dyer said in his fabulous documentary on warfare . He said that man has never invented a weapon he didn't eventually go on to use. Factually the United States has dropped the bomb twice (not to end the war as so many believe, but as a means to force Japanese capitulation mere days before Russia intended to declare war on Japan, thus altering the geo-political landscape to the perceived detriment of the US). But the next time it happens it will be disastrous for more than just unwitting Japanese civilians. The stuff of nightmares.Not bad - d101010
Not a bad documentary. But I think they could have made this documentary in the 90's. The documentary is based on the nuclear threat in the post cold war era. But a lot has changed since the break down of the soviet union. I would have liked to see more on the latest developments.
Member Reviews
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Terrifying - Elasticgirl
Completely disagree with the previous review. The documentary traces the history of nuclear accidents and near misses, which is troubling enough. But from there it only gets worse, as you realize that beyond concerns around an accident or a mistake in perception ...Not bad - d101010
Not a bad documentary. But I think they could have made this documentary in the 90's. The documentary is based on the nuclear threat in the post cold war era. But a lot has changed since the break down of the soviet union. I would have liked to see more ...